159K a year bus driver

Listened to Neal Boortz today talk about a city bus driver being the highest paid employee of the city of Madison, Wis. Got the link above. The guy made a 159K last year. A part of me says good for him, but then I think WTH is the city thinking? I guess it is city/public money so who cares.

It also makes it harder for me to tell that 19 year old to stay in college for 4 years and to take classes like physics, calculus, trig and get that engineering degree so he can start making 45K.

BiSi I know what you're saying they mentioned the same thing in Pittsburgh PA but what the union said was when somebody called off that person stayed and took the opening everyone else went home so when you got someone that wants to work OT thats what happens. I went through that where I worked no one wanted to stay so I did not all the time but most I ended up with $ 7000.00 in OT, I can relate.

Put in the hours work when no one else will, make some good money. I was single with no family for about 12 years. Every family holiday, I would work double shifts so the family men could be home. Made double time for the holiday, plus overtime for the second eight, plus shift differential on the off shift. Double shifts all four days of the Thanksgiving holiday, Christmas eve, Christmas day, Doubles on new years eve, new years day, same with Good Friday and resurection day, memorial day, Independence day weekend. Made a lot of money (which merril lynch stole from me) but missed a lot of life, which is also gone forever.

I feel sorry for the hard working wage slaves. When we lay on our death beds, it will be the quality of life we are either thankful for or longing for, not the stinkin' numbers on the tax form.

Years ago,in NYC your pension was based on 1 yes ONE high year. Needless to say no one went home during their last year of employment. You took all the OT,it was a gentleman's agreement ,you waited, your turn will come. Six figure pensions were common place.

NJ is even worse school officials get upwards of 500k in severence based upon unused days.

If you can tolerate spending 20-30 years in a job, that offers nothing but good retirement --go for it.

I am glad to see you guys have figured this one out. I work for a Regional transit authority. We have a few drivers that did 90,000.oo. They are the ones getting ready to retire. They are also the ones that work the holidays or sick hours for co-workers as a courtesy.Sleep in the parking garage because they are working a split shift. And hiring freeze/budgets do create o/t.

They do not fall under D.O.T. rules like an over the road trucker,As far as log books and hours. But do have a CDL and D.O.T. medical card. Clean driving record ect., Which is difficult driving a 40 ft. bus through a major city. If you remember your last trip through the city in your personal vehicle just think about how many people pull out of on street parking,Alleys ect. in front of you and add the length of a buss with 60 =/- passengers talking,Standing,ect.

And if you want a good reason for your friends or reletives to attend collage: As the passenger enters the bus they are facing the driver.The drivers get coughed on,Absentee rate do to illness is unreal. Then get threw up on,Fallen onto and much more. Then you get into initiations or mischief where they sucker punch or club the driver upon exiting the bus,Throw something on them ect. Then the sob stories to get a free ride.

We have collages come to our garage swaping the interiors and it would curl your hair to know what they find on the hand rails and seats. Would you want to sit in this atmosphere 8+ hours per shift.

Fortunately I'm not a driver, But I get to see what they deal with. Richard

Did a 1050 hours of ot in my last full year before retiring.My pension is not based on that though.Remember its cheaper to pay an employee ot than to keep more employees on the payroll.Factor in health ,pension ,holidays ,sickdays,personal days etc.